Remembering Jack Lemon (1936–2026): A Legacy of Printmaking and Generosity
11.12.2026
Prepared by Raechell Smith & Marcus Cain
Jack Lemon graduated from KCAI’s painting program in 1963 and was instrumental in the establishment of the Printmaking program at KCAI before founding Landfall Press in Chicago, in 1970.
The Emily & Todd Voth Artspace and the KCAI community wish to share news of the recent passing of our dear friend Jack Lemon, KCAI alumnus, a celebrated master printer and founder of Landfall Press.
Jack Lemon (1936–2026) graduated from KCAI’s painting program in 1963 and was instrumental in the establishment of the printmaking program at KCAI before founding Landfall Press in Chicago, in 1970. Preeminent among a handful of atelier/publishers throughout the world, Landfall Press collaborated with over 230 established and emerging artists to publish over 3,400 print editions and projects, representing a range of contemporary ideas and artistic strategies.
The unique environment of the Landfall Press workshop was collaborative and inventive for artists, printers, and those in apprenticeship through the Landfall Institute of Graphic Arts. Landfall Press publications have been featured in major retrospective exhibitions organized by the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Milwaukee Museum of Art.
In 2020, Landfall Press marked five decades of printmaking by publishing the monograph, Landfall Press: Five Decades. Authored by Thomas Cvikota with a forward by Nikki Otten, and published by Rizzoli Press, the monograph celebrates fifty years of printmaking at Landfall Press and explores the ongoing conversations and collaborations among multiple generations of artists. Landfall Press closed in 2022, and Lemon established the Landfall Press Legacy Center, a comprehensive archive of his life’s work co-organized with the Turner Carroll Gallery.
Throughout Lemon’s nationally celebrated career, his exceptional commitment to KCAI remained generative and dynamic. Through the Landfall Institute of Graphic Art, apprenticeships for students created access to hands-on training at Landfall Press, while a named and endowed scholarship fund for students in Printmaking ensures the ongoing legacy of Jack Lemon.
A special collection of editioned works created in Kansas City as part of the KCAI Impressions project, initiated by Jack Lemon in the late 1960s, as well as works created at Landfall Press in Chicago and Santa Fe, between 1970 and 2022, represent a strength in KCAI’s teaching collection. An important educational resource for students and faculty at KCAI, the collection has been featured in numerous exhibitions organized by the Emily & Todd Voth Artspace (formerly H&R Block Artspace), including Imprint: Celebrating the Collaborative Impulse in Printmaking (2025); (Un)Wavering Ideals (2022); Artspace 20/20 (2020); Nicky Nodjoumi: The Long Day (2019); Printed Reflections (2019); KCAI Impressions: H.C. Westermann (2017) 100 Proof (2017); and State of the World (2017), among others.
Through these significant contributions, Jack Lemon will continue to provide a deep and lasting educational resource and a profound legacy for future generations of students at KCAI.